Alien Designs.

alien designs created in the process of making the little bugger used for our OHS/2D animation assignment. some of these were of decent quality-- it just shows how creative my mind can get when offered a simple possibility.

More Artists Tips

Ten Top Tips For Artists

inspiration and motivation have always been issues with my artistic progress as i've gotten older. when i was far younger, i was less preoccupied with how my art looked and was more fascinated with expressing my ideas on paper. oh, i miss those days, despite how horrible my art was. but finding that child like fascination with expressing ideas is sometimes relatively simple. as number two of these tips says, "Remember what got you into art in the first place and take some time to reconnect with that joy."-- sometimes all it takes is a new set of materials and the child like glee and experimentation begins all over again.


for anyone struggling with artist's block, take a quick look at the above link. whether it be for sketching, modeling, animation or photography-- most of these tips should still apply.

Expressions And Whatnot.

Cats And Expressions.

as i tend to draw people more often than not, expressions are often a big deal. not to mention the immense joy i take in adding expressions to figures-- it's the best part of drawing people. so of course, it's important to get them right. this brief resource on expressions uses the artist's preferred style-- cats, apparently-- to convey just how many different expressions there are, including the muscle reactions in the face, how the facial features stretch and squash and so on. it's worth a look, if not just for the amusing cats.

Poses And Handy Anatomy References.

Pose Tutorial/Reference

where this link may not exactly be the most accurate tutorial/reference out there, it certainly does cover the basics with a simple style that is easy to reproduce. lower on the page in the artists comments are links to other tutorials on subjects such as expressions, hands and female and male anatomy-- all drawn in the same exaggerated, expressive style. for basic anatomy/pose work, it's better to start on the easy stuff.

A Pinch More On Colour-- And Pencils.

Coloured Pencil Techniques

coloured pencils still remain one of my favourite traditional mediums. they're quick and easy to use, yet have so many different methods in which to use them in. besides, they're a lot less messy than paints and pastels.

this guide pretty much covers all the basics of colour pencil work, plus some tips on coloured shading. now no-one has an excuse to slack off when colouring in pencil.

Musing Upon Colours

Techniques of the Impressionists: What Colors are Shadows?

in my journeys to investigate the use of colour in shadows, i found this rather interesting article on the Impressionists-- Claude Monet in particular.

the article boasts that shadows in paintings and drawings need not use blacks or greys-- which drain the image of colour-- but instead use complementary colours to enhance the base colour. for example, using deep greens to shade an object with a reddish tinge would simply make both colours seem more vibrant. for the style of Impressionism, this is ideal.

if the desired effect is not a bold contrast, then other coloured shades may be more suitable. a shadow with a pinkish hue gives a softer feel to the object, where blues would create more depth. experimenting is the key, here.